Finding aid to the Frank Stephens Field Notes Collection, ca. 1881-1929 LA.1994.0412
Finding aid prepared by Marie Myers
San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library
2018-05-17
1788 El Prado, Balboa Park
San Diego, CA 92101
library@sdnhm.org
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library
Title: Frank Stephens Field Notes Collection
creator:
Stephens, Frank, 1849-1937
Identifier/Call Number: LA.1994.0412
Physical Description:
.5 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): ca. 1881-1929
Abstract: The Frank Stephens Field Notes collection consists of notebooks, travel diaries, and species lists from collecting trips.
In addition, the collection includes biographical material, a small number of photographs, one hand-drawn map, and photocopies
of Stephen's letters to William Brewster (originals are housed at the Harvard University's Ernst Mayr Museum of Comparative
Zoology).
Container: 177
The collection includes handwritten and typescript field notes created by Frank Stephens; the bulk of the material dates from
the period 1878 to 1929 and includes journal entries of collecting trips in the southwestern United States and Baja California,
Mexico. The collection is described in three series. Series I consists of Stephens's handwritten field notebooks and loose
sheets (some typescript) of field notes and collection lists. It also includes a hand-drawn map. Series II consists of biographical
material and photographs. Series III consists of two reprints of the
Transactions of San Diego Society of Natural History relevant to Stephens's collecting activities.
Frank Stephens was born on April 2, 1849 near Portage in Livingston County, New York, the eldest of four sons of Nelson and
Julia Benson. While Stephens was a teenager, the family moved to the Midwest, farming in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and
Kansas. Stephens moved to Colorado in 1874, where he married Elizabeth Fowler and studied taxidermy with ornithologist Charles
E. Aiken. In the early 1880s, Stephens worked in mining communities in southwest New Mexico and Arizona while collecting
for Aikens and for William Brewster of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology. Stephens moved to California in 1876 and
settled in Witch Creek, San Diego County, California, farming, collecting, and working intermittently for the U. S. Biological
Survey. He collected for Donald Ryder Dickey and C. Hart Merriam, among others. He was a collector for the U. S. Department
of Agriculture's 1891 Death Valley Expedition. After his first wife's death in January 1898, Stephens married Kate Brown
in August 1898; she accompanied him on several collecting trips including the 1907 Alaska expedition sponsored by Annie Alexander
of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ). Stephens also participated in Joseph Grinnell's 1910 MVZ expedition on the Colorado
River. A frequent contributor to
The Condor, Stephens published his magnum opus
California Mammals in 1906. He was an early member of the San Diego Society of Natural History and the first curator of mammalogy for the San
Diego Natural History Museum; he was also a founding member of the San Diego Zoological Society. He is credited with collecting
at least 45 type specimens. Stephens was struck by a street-car in San Diego and died ten days after the accident on October
5, 1937 in San Diego.
The collection is open to researchers by appointment. Contact the Research Library Director, San Diego Natural History Museum.
Copyright may be reserved. Consult the San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library Director for more information.
[Identification of item], Frank Stephens Field Notes Collection (LA 1994.0412). Research Library, San Diego Natural History Museum.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Baja California (Mexico: Peninsula)
Field notes
Geology
Mammalogy
Natural history -- California -- San Diego County
Natural history -- California -- Imperial County
Natural history -- California -- San Bernardino County
Anthony, A. W. (Alfred Webster), 1865-1939
Bailey, Vernon, 1864-1942
Brandegee, Townshend Stith, 1843-1925
Brewster, William, 1951-1919
Brown, Evan Tollitt, 1886-1964
Dixon, Joseph S., 1884-1952
Fenn, W. J. (Walter James), 1862-1961
Fisher, A. K. (Albert Kenrick), 1856-1948
Funston, Frederick, 1865-1917
Grinnell, Joseph, 1877-1939
Huey, Laurence M. (Laurence Markham), 1892-1963
Jones, L. Hollister (Louis Hollister), 1889-1972
Klauber, Laurence Monroe, 1883-1968
Koebele, Albert, 1853-1925
Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942
Nelson, Edward William, 1855-1934
Paine, Frederick W., 1865-1936
Palmer, T. S. (Theodore Sherman), 1868-1955
Ricksecker, Lucius Edgar, 1841-1913
Stephens, Kate (Kate Brown), 1853-1953
Series I - Field Notes
Box 177, Folder 1
Letters to William Brewster 1878-1917
William Brewster correspondence. Letters from Frank Stephens, 1878-1917
Box 177, Folder 2
Arizona Birds 1881
Frank Stephens Arizona Field Notes
Field notes of Stephens collecting for William Brewster in Arizona, 1881. Consists of letters from Stephens to Brewster and
Brewster's annotations. Copy of Stephens handwritten notes with cover explanatory note by Brewster: "The following M.S. notes
relate to a collection of bird skins made for me in Arizona by Mr. F. Stephens and are included in my general collection.
They are in short the collectors field notes and were originally in the form of blank books of small size each of which was
sent to me as soon as filled, with the birds it catalogued."
Box 177, Folder 3
Field notes 1891
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1891
Log of Death Valley Expedition of 1891. Handwritten California and Nevada diary entries date from November 18, 1891 through
December 23, 1891, California and Nevada. Localities include San Bernardino, Ash Meadows, Table Mountain, Oasis Valley. References
to Dr. Merriam (April 9), Bailey, and Koebele (Bennetts Wells); Mr. Nelson (June 17).
Box 177, Folder 4
Field notes journal 1892-1902
Frank Stephens Field Notes Journal, 1892-1902: 1892-1902
Physical Description: 1 Volume17½ x 12¾ inches
Cover: "Natural History Notes." Handwritten collection notes and lists, with diary entries dated from February 3, 1892 through
April 3, 1902, sporadically. Localities include Carlsbad, Hatfield Creek (above Ramona), Goose Lake (Modoc County), Witch
Creek, Susanville (Lassen County), Strawberry Valley, Hemet Valley, Catalina Island, Cuyamaca Mountains, et al. Also includes
seven pages of notes at the end of the volume with explanatory note: "The following notes are coppied [sic] from Mr. E. T.
Brown as relevant to the history of Mr. Stephens work. K. S." [viz. Evan Tollitt-Brown, Kate Stephens]. The Brown notes are
dated March 26, 1911 through May 3, 1911.
Box 177, Folder 5
Field notes 1894
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1894
Log of collecting trip in California and Nevada, with handwritten entries dated February 1, 1894 through November 5, 1894.
Collecting trip (beginning February 1, 1894) in company with illustrator W. J. Fenn. Localities in California and Nevada include
Warners Ranch, San Jacinto Valley, El Casco, San Bernardino, Cucamonga, Monrovia, Oroville, Lasson Pass, Carson City, Mono
Lake, San Diego.
Box 177, Folder 6
Field notes 1896
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1896
Notebook diary of collecting trip to the Colorado River delta (Mexico) with Fred Paine and W. J. Fenn, with handwritten entries
dated entry dates from November 18, 1896 through December 23, 1896. List of expenses, mileage, game, specimens sent to C.
Hart Merriam. Localities include Black Mountain; Cameron Lake; Carrizo; Cocopah Mountains; Mountain Spring; Old Indian Well
station; Tijuana.
Box 177, Folder 7
Field notes 1897-1898
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1897-1898
Handwritten diary of trip to the desert regions of San Diego and Imperial Counties in California with illustrator W. J. Fenn.
Dates from December 27, 1897 through January 25, 1898. Localities include Banner, San Felipe Creek, Blair Valley, Vallecito,
Palmetto Spring, Carrizo Creek, Superstition Mountains, New River, Pelican Lake, and Cameron Lake.
Box 177, Folder 8
Field notes 1901
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1901
Fragment (15 pages) of log of collecting trip with handwritten entries dated from March 22, 1901 through April 9, 1901. Localities
include Banner, Big Laguna, Blair Valley, Blue Lake, Borrego Spring, Cameron Lake, Fish Creek, Imperial, Indian Wells, Julian
(Hubbard/Ready Relief mine), Lakeside, Mesquite Lake, Mount Signal, New River, Salton (Carter) River, San Felipe Canyon, Santa
Ysabel, Spencer Valley, Vallecito, Witch Creek. Reference to Mr. Brandegee.
Box 177, Folder 9
Field reports 1902
Frank Stephens Field Reports, 1902
Typescript reports regarding trips in California and Arizona. Most include a general description of the area and lists of
mammal and bird species. Localities include San Diego and Imperial counties in California, southwestern Arizona, and the
Mexican boundary (Colorado Valley). Dates from May 8, 1902 through August 18, 1902.
- 10 miles east of San Juan Capistrano, May 8, 1902; 1 page.
- Whitewater to Providence Mountains, [May 24]; 5 pages.
- Providence Mountains, California, May 24-June 7, 1902; 7 pages.
- Mojave Valley, California and Arizona, June 10-18, 1902; 4 pages.
- Hualapai Mountains, Arizona, June 20-July 9, 1902; 5 pages.
- Little Meadows, Mohave Co., Arizona, June 21-23, 1902; 3 pages.
- Beales Spring, Arizona, June 24-28, 1901 and July 10-12, 1902; 3 pages.
- Big Sandy Creek, Arizona, July 15-26, 1902; 9 pages.
- Bill Williams River, Arizona, July 27-31, 1902; 3 pages.
- Colorado Valley, August 1-18, 1902; 5 pages.
Box 177, Folder 10
Field reports 1903
Frank Stephens Field Reports, 1903
Typescript reports of collecting trips. Most include a general description of the area and lists of mammal and bird species.
Localities include the California/Mexico border region and mountain regions of Riverside County and San Bernardino County.
- Along the Boundary between California and Mexico, January 15, 1903 to April 1, 1903; 10 pages.
- San Jacinto Mountains, California, April 24, 1903 to May 7, 1903; 7 pages.
- Lytle Creek, California, July 8, 1903 to July 26, 1903; 7 pages.
- San Bernardino Mountains, July 30, 1903 through August 15, 1903; 7 pages.
- Chuckawalla Mountains [n.d.]
Box 177, Folder 11
Collecting list / Field catalog 1902-1903
Frank Stephens Field Catalog, 1902-1903
Box 177, Folder 12
Field notes 1903
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1903
Notebook, labeled "Exercise Folio. No. 2, Journal 1903" on cover. Handwritten entries date from April 18, 1903 through August
27, 1903. Collecting trip for the Biological Survey, with F. A. De Frate (assistant) and Kate Stephens. Localities include
Bear Valley; Bluff Lake; Box Spring; Idyllwild; Lytle Creek; San Bernardino Mountains; San Jacinto Mountains; Taquitch; Temecula;
Tucson; Warm Creek.
Box 177, Folder 13
Field notes 1905
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1905
Small notebook diary includes handwritten entries on two collecting trips. Notes on the Split Mountain Expedition consists
of loose pages with entries dated from 15 April to 3 October 1905. Localities include Ironwood Well, Monotony, Split Mountain.
Bound-in pages contain notes of travel and collecting through Kansas and Colorado from 24 August to 3 October, no year given.
Locations include Salina, Denver, Colorado Springs.
Box 177, Folder 14
Field notes 1908-1910
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1908-1910
Diary with handwritten entries dated from 1908 through 1910. Entries dated from April 21, 1908 through November 24, 1908 include
reference to Mr. Ricksecker, Mr. De Frate, and Mr. Quincy. Localities include Barrett Dam, Cottonwood Creek, Dulzura, San
Ignacio and Warner's Valley. The 1909 notes, dated from March 7, 1909 through June 30, 1909, include localities of Mountain
Spring, Coyota Well, Brawley, New River, Carrizo Creek. The 1910 notes, dated February 12, 1910 through October 23, 1910,
concern a third trip to the Colorado River for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology with Grinnell and Dixon. Localities include
Needles, Chemehuevi Valley, Colorado River, Pilot Knob, and Bill Williams River.
Box 177, Folder 8
Field notes 1920
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1920
Box 177, Folder 8
Box 177, Folder 15
Field notes 1924
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1924
Field notes of collecting trip in California, with dates from January 16, 1924 through May 28, 1924. Handwritten (15 pages,
looseleaf gathered). Localities include Warm Springs, Laguna Mountains, San Felipe Creek, Carrizo Creek, La Puerta Valley,
Pinyon Mountains. Named field colleagues include P. W. Parker, Laurence M. Huey, Mr. Merritt, and Mr. Glenn.
Box 177, Folder 15
Field notes 1925
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1925
Box 177, Folder 15
Field notes 1926
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1926
Notes of collecting trips in San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside counties in California. Dates from March 15, 1926 through
December 30, 1926. Localities include San Felipe Narrows, Harpers Well, Fish Spring, Coachella, Palm Springs, Whitewater,
Redlands, Perris, Riverside, Temecula grade, La Puerta Valley, Dulzura. Field colleagues include ornithologist Chester C.
Lamb and field assistant Samuel G. Harter.
Box 177, Folder 15
Field Notes 1927
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1927
Notes dated May 16, 1927 and from June 9, 1927 through July 15, 1927, of collecting trips in San Diego County and Baja California,
Mexico. Handwritten notes (looseleaf gathered). Localities include La Puerta Valley and Granite Mountain, California and
Ojos Negros Valley and Valle de la Trinidad, Baja California, Mexico. Collecting trips companions include Laurence M. Huey
and May Canfield.
Box 177, Folder 15
Field Notes 1928
Frank Stephens Field Notes, 1928
Notes of collecting trips in San Diego County, California. Six entries dated January 1, 1928 (Mission Gorge); February 21
and 23, 1928 (El Monte); July 11, 1928 (North Cuyamaca Mountain, Harrison Park); July 28, 1928 (Laguna Mountains). Handwritten
notes (looseleaf gathered). Localities in San Diego County include Mission Gorge, El Monte, Cuyamaca Mountains, Laguna Mountains.
Box 177, Folder 16
Field reports and research materials 1929
Frank Stephens Split Mountain Canyon Report, 1929
Frank Stephens Pleistocene Notes and Paleontology Catalog, circa 1929
Some typescript, most handwritten notes. Typescript with handwritten annotations (undated) entitled "Some San Diego County
Pleistocene Notes, by Frank Stephens" (original and research copies), which consists of a draft version of "Notes on the Marine
Pleistocene Deposits of San Diego County, California"
Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History, Vol. 5, no. 16 (1929), pp. 245-256. Includes handwritten numerical listing of geological localities which contains the beginning
numbers of the SDNHM Paleontology Department's official recorded Locality Numbers.
Folder also includes handwritten manuscript (undated) entitled "Geologic chronology (From Schuchert)" and research notes.
Folder also includes handwritten geology report of Split Mountain Canyon, visited April 22-23, 1929 and May 19, 1929.
Box 177, Folder 17
Box 177, Folder 18
Series II - Biographical material and photographs
Box 177, Folder 19
Box 177, Folder 20
Box 177, Folder 21
Box 177, Folder 22
Box 177, Folder 23
Series III - Transactions reprints
Box 177, Folder 24
Box 177, Folder 25